[Warning: The below and video above contain MAJOR spoilers for Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Season 1 Episode 4, “A Soldier’s Heart.”]

Outlander: Blood of My Blood‘s fourth installment, “A Soldier’s Heart,” made way for the long-awaited crossover between Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) mothers as Julia (Hermione Corfield) and Ellen (Harriet Slater) met.

In the episode, Ellen began to realize that her betrothal to Malcolm Grant (Jhon Lumsden) would not be so easily broken, making her path to Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy) that much more difficult. Distraught over the potential reality of having to wed a man she didn’t love, Ellen hid away in Castle Leoch.

Meanwhile, Julia continued her duties at Castle Leathers, doing fairly well considering Lord Lovat (Tony Curran) was out of the area, but upon his return, she had to come up with a strategy to keep herself out of his hands after her calculated liaison with the laird that could pass off her unborn child with husband Henry (Jeremy Irvine) as his own. Ultimately, she rubbed what appeared to be nettles on her skin, giving herself a temporary rash and reason for Lord Lovat to keep his distance.

Brian offered to bring her to the apothecary to pick up remedies for treatment, but he was onto her ruse, especially as her rash faded over the course of their carriage journey. In exchange for Julia helping him connect with Ellen, Brian promised to provide Julia protection over her and her unborn child.

Ultimately, Brian led Julia to the Clan MacKenzie property line, pointed her towards Castle Leoch, and directed her to find Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham), who could help her find Ellen. As Julia snuck through the halls of Leoch, she eventually found Ellen’s door and told her she was “the bridge,” in other words, the go-between for Ellen and Brian.

“I think she recognizes elements of herself in Ellen,” Corfield says of Julia’s thoughts on meeting Ellen in our latest Outlander: Blood of My Blood Aftershow. “I think they’re both women that sort of refused to be put in a box or tied down or told no. And I think she sees that. I also think… she respects Brian and has affection for him, and I think seeing this woman that clearly he’s so in love with touches her as well because she relates to that.”

Slater reveals the feelings from Ellen toward Julia were mutual, despite Ellen’s initial hesitancy and uncertainty around interacting with the ally. “Ellen doesn’t get a lot of time to chat to other women. So it was a really nice moment of connection. I think she really found a confidant in Julia,” Slater says.

In the end, Ellen followed Julia out of the castle through a secret passage, meeting Brian in the woods surrounding Leoch, where he asked if she wished to be with Malcolm Grant. She told him to look in her eyes as she took his hands and essentially vowed that she was his, and would continue to do what she could to break her betrothal, despite the dangers Clan Grant posed.

Viewers got a taste of that danger as Henry dealt with collecting the rent on behalf of the clan as he also continued his search for Julia. While a madame introduced by Ned Gowan (Conor MacNeill) claimed to have found the woman Henry was in search of, it only led to heartbreak as the woman didn’t happen to be Julia. The episode ended with Henry being held by the woman working in the madame’s brothel as he sought comfort.

Meanwhile, Julia revealed to Lord Lovat that she was pregnant, shifting the tone at Castle Leathers. What will happen next as the Beltane festivities near? Stay tuned. In the meantime, watch the full aftershow above, and let us know what you thought of the latest installment in the comments section below.

Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Season 1, Fridays, 8/7c, Starz 

—Reporting by Kate Hahn